Exploring the Rio Grande Valley








Tuesday to Saturday, January 23, 2010

Such a nice week I didn't get over to the Clubhouse to post a blog all week. Cousin Don and Maureen drove us over to check out South Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico (an hour drive from here in Alamo) on Wednesday. The weather was sunny and warm but windy so our walk on the beach was like getting slightly sandblasted. We lunched on a platter of shrimp, fish, chicken and fries at Dirty Al's. We toured the World Birding Center on the Island enjoying their boardwalk and new viewing tower. Para-surfers, windsurfers and sand sail buggies were enjoying the windy conditions which the island experiences most of the time. We were advised not to bring the RV to camp here because the salt water and the sand cause alot of damage to your rig.



Yesterday Don and I visited another park for birding - Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. We did see some lovely birds and javelinas (look like wild pigs but they aren't in the pig family at all). This park is right on the Rio Grande River so border patrols are present - even a chopper flying overhead. Most of the birds go south through this area in October and November and come back north in April - birds are pretty smart. The naturalist told us that some days thousands of hawks are counted from their hawk tower. With so much land cleared for development and farming, the bird's habitats are severely threatened. Plus the damming of the Rio Grande River (further upstream) for irrigation and to control flooding has changed the vegetation in the area. One year recently no water of the Rio Grande River reached the Gulf of Mexico.


So we keep busy when we aren't touring with golfing, the pool, walking, shopping and whatever else comes along.

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